The Tycoon Read Online Free PDF Page B

opposed to it. At this year’s family meeting, he had reported that the windmill construction was about half-finished and he was in talks with TXE about leasing more land. If he continued, at some point, all of the Lockhart West Texas holdings would be under lease for windmill sites.
    “Speaking of socializing,” Pic said, preventing the conversation from escalating into an argument, “I meant to show you something.” He left the table and returned with a newspaper folded in quarters. “You made the paper. The Dallas Morning News no less” He slid the paper across the table toward Drake.
    “What’s this?” Drake picked up the paper and scanned it. He saw a picture set within an article on a feature page—a shot of himself and the blonde heiress he had been seeing for the past six months, Donna Stafford-Schoonover.
    He recognized the background in the picture as the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, where last week he had accompanied Donna to a function held by one of the many organizations she supported. He hated seeing himself in the newspaper, but as the only daughter of one of the richest, most powerful men in Texas, Donna made the paper if she sneezed. He’d had to learn to live with that, but he hadn’t learned to love it.
    “She told the reporter that wrote this story that you and her are about to get hitched.” To Drake’s aggravation, his younger brother chortled. “She says you’re out shopping for a ring.”
    “The hell,” Drake said and continued to read. Sure enough, the quote from Donna was there. A fresh annoyance niggled at him. He had never proposed to her. He hadn’t said he loved her. Except for his fiancé of thirteen years ago, when he was a dumb kid, he had never loved any woman.
    “You got some news you’re not sharing, Son?” Dad asked. Now, he, too, was grinning. “Your mother says she’s Don Stafford’s daughter.”
    Mom. Drake did a mental eye roll. His mother had heard about him and Donna on some golf course and had been practically breathless when she had quizzed him about it.
    Everybody in Texas knew Don Stafford, either directly or indirectly. He had owned an oil company that he sold for a fortune, but continued to hold a major interest in. Now, semi-retired, he sat on many boards, owned a Cadillac dealership among other things and a part of the Texas Rangers baseball team. His influence had long tentacles.
    Drake had never asked his father if he and Don Stafford were acquainted because he rarely discussed his social life with his family. But he was sure Pic and Dad both knew that if he were planning on getting married, he wouldn’t keep it a secret from them. They were just having fun needling him.
    “Don’t forget, Mom’s planning your wedding,” Pic added, still laughing.
    Mom again. He had ended his affair with Donna twice, most recently a month ago. Then,
    somehow, influenced by his own mother and Donna’s father, he had let himself be dragged back into it. But he wasn’t happy. Donna was spoiled, self-centered, petulant and aggressive. She drank too much and he suspected she engaged in other substance abuse when she wasn’t with him.
    He had been growing ever more vexed with her drinking, her aimless lifestyle, her superficial friends he viewed as being equally aimless, and her in general. He had difficulty relating to people who had nothing productive to do or who couldn’t carry on a conversation about anything more interesting than what somebody wore to some party or who’d had the latest plastic surgery.
    For weeks, he had been thinking he and Donna had reached a dead end, wasn’t sure why he had stuck around this long. Six months was longer than his affairs ever lasted. He slid the newspaper back toward his little brother. “That’s garbage. It should go in the trash.” He left his seat and walked over to the counter and the coffee maker for a refill, leaving Pic chuckling behind him.
    “I can’t trash it yet,” Pic said. “I’ve got to show it to